I’m not a huge fan of Soviet architecture – there are only so many rows of decrepit concrete high-rises one can take, but these photo’s have a certain beauty about them…

photo by blogger ked_pled.livejournal.com

Close up they look like art, or, at the very least, like the lines, angles and shapes you might find in a geometry textbook.

photo by blogger ked_pled.livejournal.com

photo by blogger ked_pled.livejournal.com

image by blogger ked_pled.livejournal.com

photo by blogger ked_pled.livejournal.com

photo by blogger ked_pled.livejournal.com

I know many Soviet architects were limited by ideology and by the materials they were allowed to use. A friend of mine has a theory that, if Soviet architects had been allowed to use different, more quality materials, their buildings would be a lot more popular, and aesthetically pleasing.

What do you think? Do you have an opinion on Soviet architecture? I bet, with the right paints, a series of canvasses based on these photographs would make a great painting series…